Beaches can be an accessibility challenge for park visitors using walkers or wheelchairs. Because of the soft sand, wheels and legs of walkers can sink in, making them tough to maneuver.
As a part of our commitment to making parks as accessible as possible, more parks are offering beach accessibility measures to help visitors explore our shorelines.
Keen to get out of town for the Canada Day long weekend?
If you’re looking for a beautiful campsite, go north! We’ve got some beautiful campsites available, including many with electricity!
Scout out your ideal campsite on our Campsite Browsing/Reservation tool (including pictures of most campsites!), or check out these featured campsites (available as of 10:30 am on June 27, 2019):
Continue reading Campsite vacancy highlights: June 28 – July 1
Today’s post comes from Catherine Sugrue, a writer for Canadian leading lifestyle blog DoTheDaniel.com. Catherine is one of six content creators we invited to document and share their Ontario Parks RV experience in a custom-wrapped RV as part of this year’s OP125 celebrations.
In 2018, Ontario Parks turned 125 years old.
Recognized all over the world for stunning scenic landscapes and outdoor recreation opportunities, Ontario Parks hosts millions of people every year from all over the globe.
Continue reading 5 reasons to explore Ontario Parks in an RV
Looking for a fun way to camp with a bunch of people? Consider group campsites!
We’re happy to announce that group campsites can now be reserved online and via our call centre for an additional 25 provincial parks.
You’ve checked our Fall Colour Report, and you’re ready for an autumn adventure.
Here are our top seven tips for finding your fall colour fix:
Today’s post comes us from Julie Dixon and Chris Rutledge at Pancake Bay Provincial Park.
Picture this: you’re sitting on a beautiful sandy beach, soaking in an awe-inspiring sunset over Caribbean blue waters. Where do you imagine you are?
Perhaps Costa Rica? Mexico?
In fact, you don’t have to travel too far to access views like that — just head north to a little hidden gem called Pancake Bay Provincial Park!
Continue reading Celebrate 50 years at Pancake Bay Provincial Park
In honour of our 125th anniversary, we’re delighted to unveil our invitation to find yourself at Ontario Parks.
What’s Pancake Bay’s secret?
Is it the white, sugary sand? The Caribbean blue-and-turquoise waters? The expansive views across Lake Superior from the beach, or high above from the Edmund Fitzgerald Lookout.
Actually, it seems to be all of the above and more. For the sixth year in a row, Pancake Bay Provincial Park has been named one of the “Best of the Lake” in Lake Superior Magazine’s annual Reader’s Survey.
Continue reading Pancake Bay voted Lake Superior’s “Best Beach View”
One of my favourite signs is from a lookout over the Grand Canyon. It simply says,
ONE MINUTE.
DON’T READ.
DON’T TALK.
NO PHOTOS.
JUST LOOK…..AND SEE.
It is something that I hope you will do often when you visit our parks or other natural areas in Ontario. But how about this variation?
TWO MINUTES.
PUT DOWN YOUR PHONE.
DON’T READ.
DON’T TALK.
SIT QUIETLY…AND LISTEN.
And you can do that right now.
Below are some one to two minute recordings of birds and amphibians. Several organizations contributed recordings from across the province.
On these recordings you will hear a multitude of bird, amphibian, and perhaps some insect species. You will even hear wolves in the recording from Ivanhoe Lake Provincial Park!
So put on some headphones, sit quietly, and simply listen to these natural soundscapes.
You may need to increase the volume on your computer or device to hear them properly. Just don’t start at full volume! Download them to your computer or other device if you wish.
I Listen.
A trained person can identify bird or amphibian species from their distinctive calls. When I was an intern, I first trained by accompanying a more experienced birder. Now I listen to recordings of bird songs and amphibians calls. It is a skill one needs to practice to maintain.
There are great training apps for computers, tablets and smart phones. There are also websites, such as the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Macaulay Library.
Surveying for birds can be passive or active. In passive surveying, I listen for a five or 10 minute period and record all the species I hear.
However, some species rarely call. For these species I use a portable sound system to broadcast their calls, and wait for a response. Broadcasting calls is a form of harassment, so I do it only a few times at any one site.
We strongly discourage park visitors from broadcasting calls, unless it is a research activity that we have reviewed and approved.
Sometimes I just want to know what species occur in our various parks.
Sometimes I am looking for specific birds or amphibians, such as a species at risk.
Which ones are common? Which species are rare? What kind of habitat do they need?
Over time I could discover population trends that alarm me, comfort me, or even excite me. And sometimes I survey birds for environmental assessments, so that I understand which species may be affected by a new development or restoration project.
A pair of birds may call to each other as part of courtship behaviour. Birds may call to communicate with other members of their family or flock. However, most of the time it is the males that sing. For them it is all about defending territory and trying to impress a mate. They are basically saying “This is my land. Keep out!” and “Hey ladies….check out MY colours!”
In songbirds, the song is learned from parents at an early age. For the researcher, young males practicing their ‘voice’ can be misleading. Within some bird species the variation in songs can be interesting, or even frustrating. For example, the American Redstart has several song variations.
A few years ago I invested in a few automated recording devices. These can be programmed to record at certain times of day, for almost any length of time. At a minimum it is a 10-minute recording half an hour after sunrise, and a 5-minute recording half an hour after sunset.
These devices increase my ability to survey birds and amphibians. Essentially, they allow me to be in more than one place at the same time.
They may also record things I otherwise would not hear. Why? Some species know when I am present, and may remain silent or avoid me. But they behave normally if only the device is present, and are more likely to be recorded.
I take the device back to the office, download the recordings, listen to them, and record what I hear. I can listen to the recording as many times as needed. I am much less likely to miss or misidentify a bird than an on-site survey. And if still unsure, I can extract the confusing call and send it to an expert.
Yes, but…
Current computer software may be used to search for calls of specific species, but I would have to train the software to recognize them.
I am interested in recording the entire bird and calling amphibian community, so I have not explored this software capability. Manually interpreting the recordings also ensures that I maintain or improve my ability to identify all species when I am working in a park.
I do use software to help me interpret what I hear, however. The software can help me isolate particular sounds from background noise, or sometimes the sounds of other species. It also produces a graphical representation of the bird’s or amphibian’s song: a sonogram. Different species produce distinctive patterns.
After hours of intense listening, interpreting, and tabulating data, I realized I had been mentally dissecting the recording but not really listening. I “rewound” the recording and just enjoyed it without concerning myself with what species were calling.
So take a few quiet moments, sit back, and listen to these recordings. You may find yourself transported to another place and time.
Ed Morris
Ecologist, Northeast Zone
Additional recordings supplied by:
